12.19.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality.
Release Date: 2008-12-19
Starring: Grant Nieporte
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.sonypicturesreleasing.es/teaser/sietealmas/
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12.18.2008 | By Mack Chico |
The movie version of John Patrick Shanley’s Tony Award-winning drama about sexual and religious power struggles at a Bronx Catholic school in 1964, led the nominations for the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards with five, including nods for each major member of its cast and an overall pick for outstanding performance by a cast.
Meryl Streep, who plays a suspicious school principal, Sister Aloysius, in the film, was nominated in the lead actress category. Her co-stars, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis, earned nominations in supporting categories.
Also doing well at the SAG nominations were “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Milk,” both of which earned three nominations. The films are up for outstanding cast, lead actor (Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, respectively) and a supporting performance.
Kate Winslet was nominated for her performances in two films. The actress earned a lead actress nomination for “Revolutionary Road” and a supporting nod for “The Reader.”
The late Heath Ledger, who earned critical and mass praise for his performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” was nominated for supporting actor.
The outstanding cast nominations went to “Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”
The SAGs also shined a light on a handful of lower-profile performances. Richard Jenkins, who received plaudits for his performance in the little-seen “The Visitor,” received a best actor nomination. Melissa Leo, who plays a struggling single mother who turns to smuggling in “Frozen River,” earned a best actress nomination.
The SAGs also honor TV series, and among the top nominees are “Boston Legal,” which earned nominations for stars William Shatner, James Spader and its ensemble; “Mad Men,” which picked up nods for Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss and its ensemble; and “30 Rock,” which received nominations for Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and its ensemble.
For Academy Award watchers, the SAG Awards nominations are considered a bellwether of Oscar acting nominations. The actors’ branch is the largest Academy voting bloc and is responsible for creating the short lists for the various Oscar acting categories.
However, a SAG win is by no means a guarantee of an Oscar. Though last year’s SAG lead actor winner, Daniel Day-Lewis, won the best acting Oscar for his performance in “There Will Be Blood,” the SAG lead actress winner, Julie Christie, didn’t duplicate the feat. Christie, who was nominated for “Away From Her,” lost to Marion Cotillard, who played Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.”
Moreover, SAG Award nominees for casts sometimes have little overlap with the Oscar nominees for best picture. Last year, the SAG list had just one film — eventual winner “No Country for Old Men” — that was also nominated for best picture.
SAG Award nominations are decided by about 4,000 randomly selected members of the actors’ union. The full membership is allowed to vote on the winners.
The 15th annual SAG Awards are scheduled to air on January 25 on TNT and TBS. Both networks are units of Time Warner, as is CNN.
12.16.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Jennifer Lopez may have just given birth, but she’s all in favor of Plan B.
After taking time off her busy film career to play mama to fraternal twins Emme and Max (born last February), the A-lister has signed on to topline a fertility-themed romantic comedy for CBS Films.
Per Variety, Lopez will play a single woman who, unlucky in love, resorts to artificial insemination to have a child only to wind up falling for Mr. Right on the day she learns she’s pregnant.
Plan B, written by Kate Angelo, is slated to start shooting in April or May. Also in the pipeline for 2009, J.Lo is attached to star in The Governess, playing a thief who poses as a nanny to a wealthy widower in order to pull off the job of a lifetime.
12.16.2008 | By Mack Chico |
We just got word that Dimension Films will make “H2,” the sequel to Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of “Halloween.” The film made $58.3 million domestically and was considered a success. Will the sequel do better?
Here’s a look at the press release Dimension sent us:
Once again, Rob Zombie has been tapped to write and direct. Malek Akkad of Trancas International Films, who also produced 2007’s Halloween with Dimension, will produce the sequel, along with Andy Gould of Spectacle Entertainment Group, Zombie’s long time manager and producing partner. The announcement was made today by Bob Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company.
Dimension’s “Halloween” scored the highest Labor Day weekend opening ever with a record-breaking $30.6 million in its first four days of release and went on to gross nearly $60 million at the domestic box office in 2007.
Zombie’s “H2” will pick up at the exact moment the first movie stopped and follow the aftermath of Michael Myers murderous rampage through the eyes of heroine Laurie Strode.
“H2” will be Zombie’s fifth written and directed feature. Prior to the success of Halloween, Zombie released the critically-acclaimed film “The Devil’s Rejects” (2005), the follow-up to his cult classic “House of 1000 Corpses” (2004). Zombie just wrapped production on his animated feature film “The Haunted World of El Superbeasto” due to be released in 2009. Zombie, also an accomplished recording artist, has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide, making him one of Geffen Records’ top selling and longest running artists.
Bob Weinstein stated: “Following the success of 2007’s ‘Halloween,’ we are thrilled to be back in business with Rob Zombie, bringing a sequel to theatres. The fans have made it clear – and we agree – that they feel the franchise is in great hands with Rob Zombie.”
Rob Zombie said, ”I am very excited to be working with Bob Weinstein again and returning to the world of ‘Halloween.’ The remake laid the groundwork, now it’s time to really take Michael Myers to the next level. I believe we’ve just barely scratched the surface of where we can take this series.“
John Carpenter’s “Halloween” launched the Halloween franchise in 1978 and Moustapha Akkad, founder of Trancas International Films, executive produced the original classic. Akkad’s son Malek has continued with the franchise, producing “Halloween” (2007), “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” (1998) and now, “H2.”
“I am thrilled to be making ‘H2’ at Dimension, the home of the ‘Halloween’ franchise for the last 15 years,” commented Malek Akkad. “I look forward to working again with Bob Weinstein, as well as a filmmaker of Rob Zombie’s talent and stature.”
12.15.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Keanu Reeves, an actor known for his offbeat movie choices, added another unlikely box office hit to his collection on Sunday with “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” a chart-topping remake of a 1951 sci-fi movie.
The film, largely ridiculed by critics, sold an estimated $31 million worth of tickets in the United States and Canada since opening on Friday, distributor 20th Century Fox said.
It was also the top pick internationally, raking in $39 million from 90 markets. Fox, a unit of News Corp, said the film was No. 1 in 53 of those markets, with Russia ($5.6 million) and Britain ($4.1 million) leading the way.
The film cost about $80 million to make, said Fox.
The North American tally was in line with expectations. It marks Reeves’ biggest opening since 2003’s “The Matrix Revolutions,” the third film in the blockbuster “Matrix” franchise, kicked off with $48 million on its way to $139 million. Since then, he has starred in a series of art-house pictures (2005’s “Thumbsucker”) and middling studio pictures (2006’s “The Lake House”).
Reeves, 44, plays the alien Klaatu, who comes to save Earth from itself. The film co-stars Jennifer Connelly. Scott Derrickson (“The Exorcism of Emily Rose”) directed.
“It’s an environmental as well as a political statement,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s senior vice president of domestic distribution.
Critics were less impressed. The Wall Street Journal said the movie was “insufferably full of itself,” while the Houston Chronicle described it as “a stunningly misconceived folly.” On the other hand, the Los Angeles Times said the film was “enjoyable.”
After two weeks at No. 1 in North America, the holiday comedy “Four Christmases” slipped to No. 2 with $13.3 million, taking its total to $88 million. The film, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
The only other new entry in the top 10 was also a Christmas tale. The Latin-themed ensemble piece “Nothing Like the Holidays” opened at No. 7 with $3.5 million. Industry analysts had expected an opening in the $5 million-$6 million range. It was released by Overture Films, a unit of Liberty Media Corp.
Rounding out the top five were the vampire romance “Twilight” at No. 3 with $8.0 million (total: $150 million); the canine cartoon “Bolt” at No. 4 with $7.5 million (total: $89 million); and the period drama “Australia” with $4.3 million (total: $38 million).
“Twilight” was released by Summit Entertainment LLC, which is privately held. “Bolt” was released by Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co. “Australia” was also released by Fox.
12.12.2008 | By Mike Pierce |
A holiday movie for the season, Nothing Like the Holidays stars a huge Latino cast, including Freddy Rodríguez, Luis Guzmán, Jay Hernández, Elizabeth Peña, John Leguizamo, and more. It’s about a Puerto Rican family living in the cold, windy city of Chicago—specifically Humboldt Park.
What’s it about, you may ask? Well, mix one crazy family, one fish-out-of-water outsider, a great soundtrack, and you get a pretty damn funny movie. Okay, okay, here’s the breakdown:
Does that make sense? (Lol) The movie is funny, entertaining, and features a cast I absolutely loved.
12.12.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Hugh Jackman will host the 81st annual Academy Awards in February. Executive producer Bill Condon and producer Laurence Mark made the announcement today.
Jackman takes over for comedian Jon Stewart, who has served as Oscar moderator for the past two years.
“Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star,” said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. “He also has style, elegance and a sense of occasion. Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year¹s movies and to have fun doing it.”
The “Australia” actor previously hosted the Tony Awards in 2005, a year after winning the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “The Boy from Oz.”
12.12.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Platinum Dunes’ remake machine can’t be kept down for long. After acknowledging that their plans for a Near Dark reboot have been scrapped due to it’s remarkable similarity to Twilight, the production company has green-lit a start date for their re-imagining of A Nightmare On Elm Street.
Producer Brad Fuller spoke with BloodyDisgusting and ShockTillYouDrop, and while he gave slightly different dates as to when shooting will begin, the bottom line is the cameras should be rolling by next summer.
“It’s like what we’re doing to Friday the 13th,” says Fuller. “It’s not Freddy cracking jokes. We want to make a horrifying movie. The concept is so scary, don’t fall asleep or you’ll die. This guy gets you when you’re most vulnerable, in your sleep. We love that. That’s the basis of the movie. It’ll be most similar to the first one but in terms of kills and dreams we’ll borrow from the entire series.”
Apparently Warner Bros. has been quite pleased with Friday the 13th’s test screenings, and that enthusiasm has helped get A Nightmare On Elm Street back on the fast track. The screenplay is currently being written by Wesley Strick, whose previous credits include Cape Fear, The Saint, and Doom. Fuller reiterated that Robert Englund will be replaced as child-killer Freddy Krueger, but he hopes the actor will return in one form or another.
12.11.2008 | By Mack Chico |
Rated: R for some scenes of sexuality and nudity.
Release Date: 2008-12-10
Starring: Bernhard Schlink, David Hare
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.thereader-movie.com/
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12.11.2008 | By Mack Chico |
This is what the Oscar’s might look like as the nominations for the Golden Globes were unveiled:
“Doubt,” which tied with “Frost/Nixon” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” for the most nominations with five, earned nods for all four of its main actors — Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis — but none for either best director or best drama. “Milk’s” Sean Penn received a best actor nomination, but the film — which the New York Film Critics Circle named the year’s best — was shut out of the best director and best drama categories as well.
“Frost/Nixon” earned a nomination for Nixon (Frank Langella) but not Frost (Michael Sheen). Both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. earned supporting actor nominations for “Tropic Thunder,” but the film itself couldn’t find its way onto the best comedy or musical list. “Gran Torino,” the just-out Clint Eastwood flick that’s again earning the director critical plaudits, received its sole nomination for best song, which he co-wrote. (Eastwood also received a nomination for his “Changeling” score.)
“The Dark Knight,” the year’s top box-office success and the runner-up for best picture among the Los Angeles Film Critics, earned just one nomination, a supporting actor nod for Heath Ledger‘s performance as the Joker.
Then again, the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the Globes, showed some love toward movies that were generally overlooked by the general public.
“In Bruges,” a comedy that earned mixed reviews and had a quiet box-office run in late winter, earned nominations for best comedy or musical and actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. And Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” cleaned up — the film earned nominations for best comedy or musical and its stars Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz. Allen, however, didn’t get a nomination for either screenplay or director.
The nominees for best drama are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “The Reader,” “Revolutionary Road” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”
The nominees for best comedy or musical are “Burn After Reading,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” “Mamma Mia!” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”
The nominees for best director are Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Stephen Daldry (“The Reader”), David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Ron Howard (“Frost/Nixon”) and Sam Mendes (“Revolutionary Road”).
The nominees for best actor in a drama are Leonardo DiCaprio (“Revolutionary Road”), Langella (“Frost/Nixon”), Penn (“Milk”), Brad Pitt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”).
The nominees for best actress in a drama are Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”), Angelina Jolie (“Changeling”), Streep (“Doubt”), Kristin Scott Thomas (“I’ve Loved You So Long”) and Kate Winslet (“Revolutionary Road”).
The nominees for best actor in a comedy or musical are Bardem (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Farrell (“In Bruges”), James Franco (“Pineapple Express”), Gleeson (“In Bruges”) and Dustin Hoffman (“Last Chance Harvey”).
The nominees for best actress in a comedy or musical are Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Sally Hawkins (“Happy-Go-Lucky”), Frances McDormand (“Burn After Reading”), Streep (“Mamma Mia!”) and Emma Thompson (“Last Chance Harvey”).
The nominees for best supporting actor are Cruise (“Tropic Thunder”), Downey (“Tropic Thunder”), Ralph Fiennes (“The Duchess”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”) and Ledger (“The Dark Knight”).
The nominees for best supporting actress are Adams (“Doubt”), Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Davis (“Doubt”), Marisa Tomei (“The Wrestler”) and Winslet (“The Reader”).
Screenplay nominations went to Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”), David Hare (“The Reader”), Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon”), Eric Roth (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and John Patrick Shanley (“Doubt”).
The nominees for best animated film are “Bolt,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Wall-E.”
The Globes also give out awards for TV series. Nominees for best comedy series are “30 Rock,” “Californication,” “Entourage,” “The Office” and “Weeds.”
Nominees for best drama series are “Dexter,” “House,” “In Treatment,” “Mad Men” and “True Blood.”
The awards will be presented on January 11. The show will air on NBC.
